Dutch national airline KLM is to scrap 250 jobs on the ground as part of a wider efficiency drive.

CEO Marjan Rintel said the airline needed to make “painful” choices to secure its future. “One of those is reducing the number of office staff,” she said.

“We will try to avoid compulsory redundancies, but we cannot rule them out in advance,” Rintel added.

KLM earlier announced it was shelving plans to build a new head office at Schiphol-Oost and other buildings in order to reduce costs.

The company aims to increase productivity by 5% and raise profits by €450 million so it can continue to invest in new, cleaner aircraft. It also plans to recruit more pilots and cabin staff in order to return its capacity to pre-pandemic levels.